Unity 5.6.2p2 adds android permission WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE automatically, how to remove it?

When I create a empty folder in: Plugins/Android/res
Unity will auto add WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE permission.
But we do not need this permission. This will cause the google play user to fail to update.
How can I remove it?

 

All of the following permissions we would like to be able to remove:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE" />
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" />

 

I'm trying to remove:
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_PHONE_STATE" />

 

I have the same problem, when my Unity project contains the folder Plugins/Android/res that add this permissions.
Why Unity does add this permissions ? I really don't think it's obligatory, it's possible it's a Unity bug ?

 

Ok, I found a tricky solution ... but it's working

Don't add your android ressources inside your Unity project but on the default android project of Unity here: {UnityInstallPath}\Editor\Data\PlaybackEngines\AndroidPlayer\Apk\res

If you do that, Unity will not add the permissions automatically.

 

I found that certain versions on unity and the android build tools do not put the permission in the manifest. Unity 5.6.2p4 with SDK tools 25.2.5 works.

 

Unity has a section here on "Overriding the Android Manifest": https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/android-manifest.html

 

Oops. It doesn't work -- Unity simply adds the permission again at the end of one's custom file when building!

 

Quite the workaround but this finally works -- adding android:maxSdkVersion="1" to the permission so that Unity won't override it, but that it will still not be triggered:

http://answers.unity.com/answers/1092058/view.html

 

... argh, but that might cause conflicts when uploading to Google Play. Trying with maxSdkVersion 18 now...